Inorganic-organic materials based on calcium carbonate in which biomolecules can be embedded are known per se, where the materials are obtained by precipitation processes, and where the active ingredients embedded in the calcium carbonate matrix are water-soluble substances. For example, A. Elabbadi et al., Journal of Microencapsulation, 2011; 28(1):1-9, describe the microencapsulation of green tea extracts into microparticles of calcium carbonate and phosphates. M. Fujiwara et al, Chemical Engineering Journal 137 (2008) 14-22, describe the encapsulation of water-soluble biomolecules such as bovine serum albumin into calcium carbonate microcapsules. A. I. Petrov et al., Biotechnol. Prog. 2005, 21, 918-925 also describe the embedding or adsorption of water-soluble biomolecules such as, for example, bovine serum albumin into calcium carbonate by coprecipitation.
US 2009/0104275 describes the production of microencapsulated insulin, where the microencapsulation can take place by coprecipitation.
US 2009029902 describes complexes of calcium carbonate and proteins with calcium carbonate binding domains. The complexes can be obtained by precipitation from aqueous slurries.
WO 2008000042 describes nanoparticulate formulations of sparingly water-soluble active ingredients, where the formulations are obtained by grinding the active ingredients with water-soluble inorganic salts.
In WO 0105731, amorphous glass-like products obtained by melting inorganic salt mixtures are mechanically mixed with active ingredients and granulated.
WO 2009077147 describes pharmaceutical formulations which are obtained by mixing an active ingredient with a particulate basic solid, where the basic particulate solid is an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal salt.
EP-A 1905427 describes the embedding of active ingredients into an inorganic matrix, where only readily water-soluble inorganic salts such as, for example, sodium carbonate are described as inorganic matrix.
WO 2012/027378 describes the production of particulate active ingredient preparations, where an inorganic carrier substance such as, for example, calcium carbonate and a hydrophobic pharmaceutical active ingredient are precipitated together in a mixing chamber.
However, it is a disadvantage of the precipitation processes in a mixing chamber that the mixing chambers tend to rapidly block. Furthermore, the coprecipitates have a tendency toward recrystallization of the active ingredient, which results in poorer release of the active ingredient and therefore deterioration in bioavailability.
One aspect of the present invention provides a simple and economically feasible process for producing inorganic-organic composite materials comprising biologically active ingredients which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.